<p><p class="align-justify">For centuries the figure of ?the Turk? spread fascination and fear - in the theatre of war and on the theatrical stage. On the one hand, ?the Turk? represented a spectacular dimension, an imaginary world of pirates, sultans and odalisques; on the other hand, he stood for the actual Ottoman Empire, engaged in long-lasting confrontations and exchanges with Occidental powers. When confronted with historical circumstances ...